A note about starting your day with intention, just a few minutes early, to keep yourself centered
and available - not only for yourself but for the world around you. Do it for them and do it for you.

It’s usually the choice to wake up a few minutes early and get into that big, comfy green chair that shifts my day. It sits not so much regal as plush by the window in the corner of the living room, taking up just as much space as any medieval throne (probably).

Oversized in all the right places, holding me (and the girls) in all our cozy glory with all our cozy blankets whenever the mood strikes. It lives right below the “Silent Night” sheet music canvas and right beside the tall industrial shelves that hold memories, records, thrift store finds, travel trinkets, and a house plant that’s survived the last decade. It’s a good spot. 

On this particular morning, I was reading “Upon Waking,” a devotional by Jackie Hill Perry, written on the theme that before anything else, upon literally waking into the day, we set our minds intentionally – bringing God into our day. Making Him the focus of our energy and trusting Him to fill us each morning. And throughout said day. 

Each entry is moving, but my favorite part? The title. It reminds me just by glancing at the binding, that I need to put first what’s first and let everything else fall in line. 

That principle of intentionality has been a filter for how I approach other areas of my life and to see where an audit may be in order.

A few years ago, I used to take pictures of my gas tank on “empty” to send to my friend because it drove her nuts. She would never. Especially with a sensor showing me exactly how many miles are left in the tank, I would risk it for the biscuit any day. Because I can time things well enough, I can make a plan, and I live in a populated enough area that even if I did get to 0 (and I’m not confirming that’s ever happened…nor a -5), there’s always a gas station nearby. 

I live that “til the last drop” or “until the wheels fall off” mentality with a lot of things – my social tank, my workload, my emotional bandwidth, laundry not being taken care of until every single person is out of underwear, and the biggest culprit – my phone battery. 

But last night, I looked at my phone battery and it was practically full. That’s a miracle in itself, you see, because I’ll run my phone riiiiight down to the last percent every day. It’s usually stretched and left for dead by the evening, and while I try to make it to a charger, I get distracted. The phone is left even longer to fend for itself. 

I’ve added chargers to the spaces I interact with most to keep it from running out. One by the big green chair, one in the car, and another in my office. If it’s getting low at a friend’s house, I’ll ask if they have a charger I can use while we chat. Or use my portable one while the girls and I walk around the zoo. 

And so, on the day I was looking at the full battery, I realized because it’s getting charged first thing in the morning while I sit and in spurts throughout the day, it stays full more consistently. And even makes it to the evening.

There’s this visual from a movie I saw that struck me, too – a girl is frantically searching the airport for a phone charger to make an important call. Her phone dies, she’d digging in her bag, and just as she’s about to give up, a stranger offers his fully charged cell. “I always keep it charged,” he says, “in case someone else needs it.”

The more I neglect prayer, time in the Word, and a focus on what God is doing in my life – the lower my battery gets. The lower my battery, the less present I am to see the people around me, the less willing I am to be there for others, and the less perspective I have in the midst of chaos. 

Getting to that place isn’t good for me and it’s definitely not good for the people around me.
With a full battery, I have the ability to do those things. And I have a choice.
With a low battery, I give up both.

So, whether I can see the good it does for myself or I am hit with the impact it has on those closest to me, I’m walking through a process of slowing down and filling up. God designed us to be in relationship with Him, and when we neglect that, we drain ourselves.

When we seek Him first, recharge, refill, and reset with Him, we’re not only filled but able to pour into others.

Lean into the simplicity of who He needs you to be; it takes less work than we think to get there. Sometimes, it just takes waking up a few minutes early. Sometimes, it’s rerouting our minds. Sometimes, changing our routines. But the work is worth the effort.

Do it for them and do it for you.

P.S. Cute lil screensavers if you want ’em- click on the image to download!